Improved gas-works for making- coal-gas



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v Letters Patent No. 91,066, datedlmw 8,1869.

IMPROVED GAS-WORKS FOR MAKING COAL-GAS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of thesame.

To 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that we,Avn1tY BABBETT and W. W. BINNEY, of the city ofAuburn, in Cayuga count-y, N ew York, have invented a newand improvedMode of Manufaeturin g Coal-Gas, to be hereinafter described; and we dohereby declare the following to be a `full, clear, and exact descriptionof the same, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, makingapart of this specification, 'and to the letters of reference markedthereon.

In the manufacture of coal-gas, good success, iu point of economy andlarge production, mainly depends upon the management of the retort. Thisdevice is employed for the purpose of distilling the coal, and is madeof many sizes, proportions, and forms, and ot' various materials, tosnit the required demand. The most common are made of cast-iron, withone open end. They are set in brick arches, with the open ends exposedto view, and-sdarranged that the heat will ati'ectthem uniformly theentire length. 'W`heu brought toa red heat, the coal is depositedwithin, and the open end closed up with an iron cap, and packedair-tight with acomposition made of clay and lime. 1f the heat ismaintained at the above point, in about four hours the main -portionofthe gas has been set free fromthe coal, and passed off, through thestand-pipe, to the purifier, and to the gas-holder. The cap is then re-'moved from the open endl of the retort, when, by the ingress of theatmosphere, the oating gas within is driven out with great rapidity, andis consumed, being ignited by the operatives as it comes toward the openend of the retort. This operation is called burning off.

One object of this invent-ion is to save this gas, by keeping it withinthe retort, and also to save, in the same manner, all the gas which liesbeneath the crust thatforms over the coal while undergoing the processof distillation. That the coke within the retort is lled,

is quite clear, from the fact, that as soon as the crust p thereon isbroken, and the mass stirred, the blaze, for a few minutes, is vastlyincreased in intensity, while the burning-off process continues. Now, inorder to save this gas, instead of opening the retort, and drawing thecoke forward, exposing it toA the air, we provide a sealedcoke-receiver, into which we deposit it for the space of about fourhours, at least. In the operation of discharging the retort, the coke isbroken into small pieces, which allows the gas that was lurking withinto freely pass olf, through the ordinary chaunel, to the rcceiver.-

Another object of this invention is to preserve whatever gas may begenerated during the process of charging. The mouth ofthe retort isopened for the doublel purpose of drawing and inserting the charges.Ordinarily, the process of charging requires much the longest time. Thefresh coal being thrown directly upon the bright-red retort, thegeneration of gas is instantaneous sea-led coal-magazine. The coal isdeposited in this,

but is prevented from falling into the charger beneath by means ofcertain valves placed in the opening between the magazine and thecharger. The magazine and charger are both made gas-tight. When the workof charging is to be performed, the valve between the two is opened,andthe charge dropped into the charger, and. by the aid of what we call thecharging-rod, the coal is gradually moved, from the charger, into theretort.- This is all accomplished without opening the retort, orexposing it to the cooling incident to the common method, or allowingthe gas therein to escape.

One other object of this invention will be found in setting the retort-sin iron frames lined with fire-brick, and so arranged that the case maybe opened down to the retorts, for the purpose of removing or repairingthe same, and then closed up, Without relaying the tire-brick. This,when applied to benches of rctorts, will be found to be a very greatsaving in expense over the old method.

Another object will be found in the mode, hereinafter described, ofconstructing the condenser. This is so constructed and arranged that thegas passes through it in thin layers, of not more than one-half inch inthickness, and is thrown from side to side thereof, impinging .upon thesurfaces of short, open pipes, open at' both ends, through which thecool air may circulate freely, for the purpose of keeping the said pipescool, and by this means more eiectually condensing the gas in itspassage through the condenser.

And now, in order that Aothers may know how to make and use ourinvention, we will proceed to describe its construction and mode ofoperation.

Figure l is a vertical longitudinal section of the rctort and theseveral parts connected therewith.

Figure 2 is a cross-section, showing the hre-brick, tire vandash-chamber, tire-bars, and the joints whereby the top thereof is openedfor the purpose of getting at the retort.

Figure 3 is a plan of the head of the charger.

Figure 4 isa horizontal section of tig. 3, with some of the partsremoved.

Figure 5 is a plan of the top of the coal-magazine.

Figure 6 is a longitudinal vertical sectionof the condenser.

Figure 7 is an isometrical projection of the entire subject embracedwithin this application, and it shows the connection and relation,externally, of all the parts as they are seen'when in operation. l

Figure 8 represents a coal-magazine, which, when the charges arerequired to be made continuous, in about equal times, may be substitutedfor the one shown on the chargerrin fig. 7.

A is the retort;

B, the charger;

O, the coal-magazine D, the receiver;

E, the coke-magazine; and v F, the stand-pipe, used for conveying thegas from the retort to the condenser.

G is the brick-work;

H, fire-escape flues;

Y I, grate-bars; J, lire-box; K, ash-pit; and 4I; is thecharging-rod,.and is made suciently long to remove the coke from theretort, operating through the charger B. l

, j Thisl rod is fitted through-a slide, M, shown in iig. 3.

Irrg. 4, it is raised from its bed N, for the purpose of showing all theparts more distinctly.

The cap of the chamber 0 has a chamber, l), on the inside thereof,filled with a non conducting substance, and there a chamber, also, at Q,whichv surrounds the vertical slot R, through which the charging-rodpasses to the inside of the charger.

`Vhen the slide M is placed in its seat N, the clamps' S, fig, 3, areplaced over it, and they are held in their places by the screws T andthe steady-pins U.

The slot R has a case around it, extending through to the inside of thehead or cap of the charger O, to prevent the non-conducting materialfrom being displaced while the charging-rod is in use.

The charging-rod L has a plate, V, attached to the end thereof, for thepurpose of aiding in moving the coal from the charger into the retort. v

-At the time of moving the coal forward, if the front end of thecharging-rod is dropped', the plate V will rest on the bottom of thecharger and retort; but, in drawing it back, the forward end should beraised, to avoid dragging the coal from the retort into the charger. v

The edge of the plate V is shown in red shaded lines in g. 4, and a sideview in red dotted lines at W, fig. 4.' 4

The screws T-should be slackened before operating the chaigingrod. Thisallows it to have free play up and down, without opening the charger, orin any way allowing the gas to escape; When the rod occupies. the placeof the red dot in the lower end of the slot R, the plate V, attachedthereto, rests upon the bottom of the charger, which lies parallel withthe bottom of the retort. lWhen the rod is raised to the oppositeend,vthe opposite edge of the said plate comes against the top of thecharger. l

The tunnel-shaped,mouth-piece X, projecting from the plate M, maybe lledwith clay-and-lime packing, while the charge is being distilled, and, ifthe screws T are set down, all egress from within is cut orf.

The free action allowed the charging-rod enables the workmen to draw thecharge with great ease, as well as to do the work of recharging in muchless time than by the ordinary mode, without being subjected ,to theheat of the coke, or the deleterious influence of the escaped gas.

The coal-magazine (l is divided into two part-s by means of a partition,shown in red shaded lines at' The centre of the partition is a cylinder,of sulfi- E,. and drop the coke out of it.

onces The joints around the shaft and thimble are welll fitted, and workin oiled bearings, and are gas-tight.

The lids g are packed, as it is common to pack the heads of retorts.

New, the operation of these parts, in combination with the retort, is asfollows: 1

The charger B is of sufficient' capacity to contain an amount-of coalsufficient for one charge.

By turning one of the levers c orf, and removingY one ot the caps g, acharge of coal may be dropped through the magazine into the charger.

Then, by closing the valves, two more charges may be deposited in themagazine, and the lids g closed and sealed.

Now we have three charges' within the magazine and charger, sealedair-tight When the retort is brought to the proper heat, by the aid ofthe charging-rod, the first charge is movedl out of the charger into theretort, and the process of distillation will be complete in about fouryhours with suitable heat, and the gas will pass off through thestand-pipe to the condenser, Sto. v

The coke'is then broken up by the aid of the charging-rod, and moveddirectly onward until it drops into the sealed coke-receiver E. There itremains for the space of four hours, until the next charge is distilled.This gives a chance for the gas remaining in the spent coal or coke toescape in the same manner above described.

N ow, by turning the handle c around, parallel to the lever f, a secondcharge will fall from the magazine into the charger, and may be movedforward into the retort as before, and, when distilled, moved onwardinto the coke-chamber, as in the other case.

Now, by turning both levers c and f one half revolution, the thirdcharge will.Y drop into the charger, and move forward into the retort,as in the two former cases.

`We have worked, now, three charges, without opening the retort or itsapproaches, and this has consumed the time of one day, or twelve hours.

W'ith a moderate-sized machine, from eight tofteen hundred feet of gascan be made in this time, with a Very small amount of labor.

The above description has reference to a portable gas-works, for use inprivate families, and for this reason it is proposed to stop at the endof twelve hours.

' But if the wish is to work two or more days in succession, the lirstthing-to be done in the morning is to make a re under the retort. Whilethis is heating, unclasp the lid lfrom beneaththe coke-magazine Thenclose up the lid fi, and seal it as before. Then proceed to putin thecharges as before described, and work them off in l like manner.

Whenever` theretortsare Set in benches of two or more, 'and the chargesare required to be repeated continually in about equal times, adifferent mode of operation would be far more desirable than the oneabove described.'

In 'such a case each retort must be armed with an air-tightcoal-'magazine, of sufhcient capacitynly to hold one charge of coal.

This magazine is shown atig. It is made in the same form, at the bottom,as; the one above described, for the purpose of fitting on to thecharger iu the same manner.

k isY thevalve for dropping-the coal from it into the charger, and isshown in red dotted lilies;

b is the lever for closing the valve; and

m, the cover for closing and sealing the top.

The operation is as. follofws:

With the magazine open into the charger, one charge of coal is droppedinto the charger through the magazine, the valve k closed, and anotherdeposited within the magazine, when the lid is shut down and sealedair-tight,

The charge within lthe charger is then moved forward into the retort bythe aid of the charging-rod, and, when distilled, is broken up, and, bythe means above described, is moved forward into the coke-magazine.

At this stage of the operation there is very little strain or pressureupon the retort or its appendages. But, during the last distillation,the gas undoubtedly has moved up and filled the spaces between theparticles of coal deposited in the magazine. This is now dropped bodilyinto the charger, carrying with it whatever gas had permeated the coal.

Now, by closing the valve k, and opening the lid m, another chargeshould be deposited in the maga zine before the charge in the charger ismoved forward into the retort, and the lid again closed and sealed.

The second charge is now moved forward by the means above described, andthe process of distillation carried on as before.

After the gas has been evolved from the second charge, the retort isagain quiescent, or nearly without pressure.

If now the lid fi, underneath the colte-magazine,l be opened, the cokewill drop out, but the lid should be immediately closed and packedair-tight.

All this may be accomplished without allowing any gas to escape, exceptthe triiic lodged in the cells of the coke.

The coke, after lying four hours, will not ignite, and whatever' gasvlingers among the particles must be very small indeed, for the reason,that as soon as the lid i is opened, the atmosphere strikes the coke,and the free gas is lifted into the magazine, and is held there by thepressure of the atmosphere.

Excluding the air from the hot coke, in a cool -medium connected withthe4 stand-pipe, has two advantages. One is, the iire goes out in thelower temperature of the coke-magazine, and the other is, the gas isretained within, and allowed to pass oiic into the m'ains.

In iig. 6, Q is the condenser. It is shown in longitudinal verticalsection, cutting it through the centre.

1, 2, 3, 4, Src., are pipes, open at both ends, connected withpartitions A', which, with the pipes, divide the passages through whichthe gas moves, every altemate one coming down into the coal-tar B', asit drips down from the stand-pipe F and enters the condenser at C.

The partitions A are made gas-tight where they are connected with thepipes, and the course. of they gas, in its passage through thecondenser, is shown by the sinuous red line, commencing at the point ofthe dart C', and coming out of the same at D.

E is a tarpool, for the purposeof allowing the tar to pass out, withoutallowing the gas to escape.

This arrangement of parts will. accomplish the work of condensationquicker and more completely than any known method.

eines 3 The first reason for this is that the current is constantlyinipinging upon an object cooler than the gas, and, second, the currentis broken, and wluttever portion escapes the coolingeiiect vat onetime,'is certain to receive it at another.

This will obviate the serious difficulty met with by Clegg, as explainedin histreatise on the manufacture of `coal-gas, and for the cure ofwhich he instituted some experiments, but; not being successful, wereabandoned. v

The practice then was, and now is, to condense by passing the gas'through from fifty to eighty feet of round iron pipe.

He says the centre ofthe passing column, not coming in contact with thesides of the pipe, is not condensed, because it does not comey incontact with any object cooler than itself, and is not broken during`its passage to the purifier.

The arrangement for opening the fire-chamber, without disturbing thebrick, will b'e seen more distiuctly'in iig. 2.

r lr are the two joints or hinges.

t t, the two quarter sections.

They meet Vat the joint u, in the centre of the case, at the top.

They are held in that position by the staples V V. (see iig. 7,) and thehasp W;

By slipping the hasp W off the staple V', one-half the entirefire-chamber can be opened down to the centre of the retort.

By this arrangement the retort may be repaired, or replaced with a newone, without relaying the firebricks, as is the universal practice'inall gas-works, both in this country and iuaEnrope.

Projecting from the ange x of the charger is a lug, y, resting in abracket, z.

This arrangement is applied to both sides of the charger, for thepurpose of supporting the same when it is disengaged from the retort forthe purpose of repairs, Ste.

The receiver is supported by the legs, attached to the coke-magazine. gK

In iig.1, at both ends of the retort A, will be noticed a small rise, a.

This is required toprevent the coal-tar from Howing outrof the retortinto the charger and receiver, during the process of distillation.

Having above described the construction and mode of operating ourinvention,` What we claim as new, and desire to secure by LettersPatent, is-

1. The charger and `charging-rod, in combination with the retort, as setforth.

2. The gas-tight coal-magazine, when constructed with valves, andoperated substantially in the manner and' for the purpose described, incombination with the retort.

3. The air-tightcoke-magazine, when used as above set forth, incombination with the retort.

4. So arranging the lire-brick case', enclosing the retort, that'aportion of the same may be opened, in such manner that the retort may berepaired or removed without relaying the fire-brick enclosing thetire-chamber, substantially as above described.

5. Depositing the spent coal or coke into an airtight chamber, directlyfrom the retort, said chamber being so connected with the stand-pipe asto allow the gas. evolving therefrom to pass off through that channel,for the purpose specified.

6. The receiver, when connected with the retort, coke-magazine, andstand-pipe, substantially in the manner and when used for the purposeset forth.

` 7. The condenser, when constructed us Iathove de- .chambers Q and P,when all are arranged and used scribed, that is to say, with'open pipes,so arranged for the purpose above set forth.

that the gas, in its passage through it, shall move in AVERY BABBETT athin current, rnpinging upon the surfaces of said \V W, BINNEY. openpipes, substantially in the manner and for the VVtnesses: purpose setforth. Y A. C. GODDINGTON,

8. The charging-rod L, slide M, non-conducting CHAUNCEYAA. BROWN.

